Christmas in Guatemala

Photo of tamales courtesy 123rf.com

In the nine days leading up to Christmas in Guatemala, there are daily processions with religious statues, firecrackers, and people acting as the Holy Family.  At the end of the procession the Holy Family stops at a selected house, and asks for and is given shelter for the night.  Then everyone enjoys a feast, usually with the favorite food of the season, tamales.  At the end of the Christmas Eve procession a Christ-child figure is added to the manger, then everyone again celebrates then attends midnight mass.  Christmas morning is spent in worship, after which celebrating and feasting continues.  For more information click here.

How does your family spend the days prior to Christmas?

Bark Cloth

Photo courtesy National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka

For centuries cloth has been made out of tree bark by people in parts of Africa, India, Polynesia, Hawaii, Fiji, Malay Peninsula, Samoa, and Central America.  The outer tree bark is stripped away, then the inner bark is cut or stripped from trees such as fig, paper mulberry, and breadfruit.  The soft inner-bark of these trees is flexible to begin with, then it is soaked and beaten until it's very flexible, then decorated and used as clothing, house decoration, and in religious ceremonies.

For more information see the article on Questia.com.